Baltimore Ravens offseason analysis

QUARTERBACK: It's encouraging to hear that Troy Smith is playing so well; however, one has to believe that the aggressiveness of Ozzie on Draft Day signals that they're wet in the britches over the Delaware QB. Could Troy Smith be Derek Anderson, part two? I hope not, but unfortunately I think it's possible. Perhaps even likely. Even though I can't stand Ohio State football, I'm a fan of Smith, who was a steal at the bottom of the fifth round. The guy is a gamer, and I don't care if he's quote-unquote short. He knows how to find the passing lanes. He knows how to throw the football. He knows how to win football games.

OFFENSIVE LINE: J.O. retired, and so far I've been silent. What is there to say? He's made the Pro Bowl for about 100 straight seasons, and he's a surefire Hall of Famer. But he has underperformed the past season or two, thanks to age and injuries. He was never going to be 100% again, and that was pretty clear even back in 2006. I'm not very sad to see him go, and frankly I'm glad it happened. What's interesting is that Jason Brown has been seeing a lot of time at center this offseason. If you had asked me last year, I would have guessed that Chris Chester would be the guy. But with Jared Gaither and Marshall Yanda each making their mark, it probably makes sense to go with size as opposed to agility. That having been said, 2008-2009 will almost certainly not be a playoff season, so if you're going to risk a trainwreck by switching to a zone-blocking scheme, wouldn't this be the year to do it?

LINEBACKER: Rumor is that Ray Ray is going to see less playing time this year. Maybe even come off the field on obvious passing downs (i.e. third down). John Harbaugh, watch your back. I'm coming for you. I don't wake up to drink beer at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday so I can watch Ray Lewis sit on the sideline. I don't care if he's getting old. I want to see Ray Ray play. Always.

SECONDARY: Hopefully Fabian Washington needed only a change of scenery to succeed. It's certainly plausible. He wouldn't be the first guy to leave Oakland and find success (cough cough, Randy Moss). Even so, I think Baltimore's secondary is thin. Expect a dip in production from C-Mac, and don't be surprised if Samari Rolle disappears entirely. We picked up a couple of other guys on Draft Day, but they're not expected to contribute except on special teams. Maybe they'll get some playing time; who knows? But regardless I wouldn't count on them for much more than getting the job done, and even then just barely.

COACHING: Too soon to tell, but at least we know this: John Harbaugh is not Brian Billick. Admittedly, as much as I wanted to see Billick fired, it was a bit of a love-hate relationship for me. When he was winning, his ego was fun. But it had been a while since the Ravens won because of Billick as opposed to in spite of him. Even Billick's staunchest supporters grew tired of his ego years ago. Special teams coaches don't have egos. John Harbaugh, thank you for being in Baltimore.